Escape The Pack

Chapter 7

"Jesus Laila, you're a wolf. Just do it."

I gritted my teeth, and tried to ignore Eli. He was whispering instructions in my ear, but by this point it was just a matter of doing it.

When he first mentioned hunting, I thought it was another joke. But apparently not.

"Look, you're not going to have a lot of money, so you're gonna need to get food somehow. And why not through hunting?"

I pursed my lips. "I've never done it before. It's just a bit weird."

This resulted in him rolling his eyes at me. "It's natural. Don't worry. Now come on."

Moving throught the woods, he began to show me certain ways to track animals. We found tracks and followed scents. We got a bit stuck after a while, and without any sign that it was weird, Eli lay down on the ground and place his ear to the dirt.

He lay still for a few minutes before jumping up and rushing through the trees. This went on for a while. And now here we were.

I was staring at a female deer, as it just sat and ate grass, minding it's own business. Maybe I couldn't do this. We were hiding behind some bushes, far enough away that our voices didn't carry and the deer didn't run off.

"Look, it's simple. Just creep forward, leap at it and kill it."

I glared at him. "Stop making it sound like it will be so easy."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, give me the knife."

His hand reached forwards mine, but I jerked away from him. "I'll do it."

Taking a deep breath, I began to move away from Eli and towards the deer. Creeping towards it was actually easier than I thouught. I was able to move fast and was light on my feet. I kept low, hiding behind the bushes and trees. 

When I was only a few metres away, I knew this was the closest I could get. I would just have to get this over and done with. Gripping the knife tightly in my hand, I closed my eyes and readied myself. I could do this.

Before I could change my mind, I flew out from behind the tree and jumped into the air. I landed gracefully on the deer's back. I felt it started to move and jerk beneath me, so I moved my hand and stabbed it in the neck.

This stunned it, and it fell to the ground. Then, I gripped its head in my hands and snapped its neck. It was better than letting it bleed to death.

Eli stepped out from the trees and nodded slowly. "That wass quite impressive."

I felt a bit shaky, but tried to brush it off. We then dragged the body back to the fire. Now, apparently, it was time to learn about skinning and cooking fresh meet. I was definitely not prepared for this part of being a lone wolf.

"The whole thing is easier if you let the animal bleed out. Otherwise, this whole thing will get very messy."

I nodded, as if I knew this.

"Now, if we were in wolf form, we could just eat this raw. But as humans, I wouldn't reccommend it. We have to cut this part here and-"

I stopped him. "Eli, while I'm sure this is all very helpful, can you please just do it and not show me. Killing the deer was bad enough."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, go and collect some herbs or something. We can maybe make this taste a bit better."

I nodded and happily walked to find anything I could. Luckily, I knew enough about herbs to be able to find a few. I also found some wild garlic. 

Walking back to the camp, I could smell the meat and I felt both my stomach and wolf growl. I was starving. I dumped all the herbs beside Eli. He nodded in approval and started adding different things to the hunk of meat he had placed over the fire.

I watched him turn it, cooking it evenly. 

By the time it was finished, I would have happily eaten rocks, I was so hungry. It was beginning to get dark, the sun going down. And I realised I had eaten in around 24 hours. How I was still going was a mystery.

He handed me a piece of meat on a stick, and I dug into it. I ate like a true animal, barely tasting it. I wolfed it down in a few bites, feeling Eli's eyes on me the whole time.

I looked up to find him staring at me, amused. "What?"

"Nothing, I just had this idea that females ate a bit more, well, lady-like."

I rolled my eyes and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Yeah, that's what my mom always says. I guess I'm not like most females."

"Well, that's obvious. I don't know many she-wolves with the balls to go out on their own. I have only ever met one other female lone wolf."

I didn't want to pry into his past, considering that was one of the rules, so I just nodded. "Trust me. It is well known in my old pack that I was, well, different."

"Hey, I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Eat how you want, it's your life."

I smiled at this. "Yeah, it is."

We finished eating in silence. I had to remind myself that this was only for a week. I didn't mind Eli, he seemed like someone I could be friends with. But this was only temporary, and I had to treat him as such.

When we were done, we both just sat and watched the fire dance in the light breeze. It was soothing, and I felt my eyes started to flutter closed. It was getting late. It had only been a day, but I was already losing the concept of time.

Noticing my exhaustion, Eli spoke. "We should go to sleep. We are going to need to get going early tomorrow morning."

I nodded, trying to stifle a yawn. "So, do you have blankets, or do we just curl up on the floor?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's actually easier if we sleep in wolf form."

I raised my eyebrows and waited for him to continue.

He sighed. "Our bodies are actually warmer in wolf form than in human. Plus, your clothes don't get covered in dirt. It's just easier."

I nodded. "That makes sense, I guess."

So we moved around. He put out the fire, leaving us in the dark. It took a while for my eyes to adapt to the lack of light, but I soon could make out the outline of everything. I pulled off my clothes, leaving them in a pile and shifted into my wolf.

As soon as I did, I could see and hear a lot better, which I was thankful for. I lay down, shuffling about a bit to get more comfortable. I gave a small bark, saying goodnight to Eli. He growled in return and I rolled my eyes.

When I was finally curled up and ready to sleep, I felt more awake than ever. 

I stared up at the sky. The tops of the trees were just far enough apart that I could see the stars. They shone down, giving a little light. 

I heard Eli's breathing deeping and becoming more even, and I knew he was already asleep.

I was thankful for that, because not long after the pain, the same pain from the previous night erupted from the middle of my chest.

It took all my effort not to start howling in pain. I didn't want Eli to hear me, so I pushed my head down, gritting my teeth. Little noise escaped, only the occasional whine. But this wasn't enough to wake him.

It was stupid of me though. I had honestly thought that Evan would now know that I was gone and he would feel awful. He would mourn my leaving, start to search for me. Something. But no, he just continued to sleep with girls, like nothing had happened.

Anger started to replace the pain, making my blood boil.

The tears that had been running down my face dried up. I ignored the pain, instead focusing on the stars and the sound of the leaves moving in the wind. Anything that took my mind off the pain and Evan and whatever girl he was with.

As the pain started to die down, I let out a breath and my head slumped to the ground. I wondered if the pain would ever get any better, or if I had to feel like this every time.

Like things couldn't have gotten worse after the rejection. 

With that thought still lingering at the back of my mind, I let my eyes finally close, and I drifted off into a deep sleep.

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